But on the cashier line, an employee noticed what she was purchasing and stopped her.

“You’re being scammed.”

“The second you walk out of here they’re going to ask you for those numbers,'” O’Conner recalled the worker saying, according to KSTU.

The savvy convenience store worker knew about the scam and was luckily there to intervene before O’Conner handed nearly a thousand dollars to a con artist.

O’Conner called up the so-called “Sgt. Smith” to call him out on the scheme, and he immediately hung up.

Then she called the real police to report the crime, and they, too, had seen it all before.

“This is a scam,” the police said, according to KSTU.

“I’ve had 16 of these calls today.”

Local police told KSTU that the scam had been spreading throughout the area, and they advised looking out for one big red flag: Real police will never ask for money over the phone.

O’Conner had never heard anything like it—she was shocked by how elaborate and involved the scam was.

She knew firsthand how easily someone might fall for the hoax, and she hopes that by sharing the story, she’ll spread awareness and prevent other people from falling into the same trap…because there might not always be a Rite Aid employee around to save you.

On Austin Touzzollo's first day of kindergarten, his father couldn't be there. But that day, about three dozen police officers ... READ MORE

“I found out when I opened the front door and was ready to bring Austin out for typical first day for school pictures. They said since day one that they would be here for my family and they really have stayed true to their word."